The Wedding of Jennifer and John

The wedding of Jennifer and John was held at Chanteclaire Farm in Friendsville, Maryland, in the area of Deep Creek Lake. I had never been there before so I showed up REALLY early to scope everything out. What a cool and eclectic place it was! It was a huge renovated barn full of everything and anything loved by the owners Fred and Christiane Bergheim. The grounds were beautiful and tranquil with a view of a pond and fountain from the gazebo where they wed. I hear the food was fantastic as well.

I'm constantly amazed at the unique and individual ways my wedding couples have personalized their weddings, from the venue choice, down to every small detail. I can honestly say, no two have been similar and each stands out for different things.
Jennifer and John really spent a lot of time thinking of ways to personalize the wedding. Instead of numbers, the table cards were the names of places and things they had done together. Framed images of them together and growing up with family and friends were displayed throughout the two story venue. Since the wedding was outdoors and it was a bit hot, the programs were made into fans.

These spring weddings keep us on our toes! Again, we got really lucky! The weather was fantastic right through most of the outdoor photos and then it rained off and on the rest of the evening. No worries there, I broke out an umbrella I had purchased especially for lightly rainy weddings. Jennifer and John were old pros at posing after their engagement portrait session with me so we took some really fun photos with that umbrella!

A fantastic wedding all around! Thank Jennifer and John!
Check out the next post to see their slideshow!

The wedding of Jennifer and John

The Wedding of Christine and Chuck

Cate and Dylan

Under the impending threat of yet another storm, with winds whipping under great, gray clouds, Dylan, Cate and I headed to the river to take some engagement photos. Luckily, the rain barely touched us and the wind died down. Cate and Dylan were really laid back about the shoot and had fun with it. Their loving ease around each other shows in the photos.

They brought the family dog, although I doubt he would have let himself be left out of the action, and my favorite images are of the three of them. The one above just makes me laugh!
I am constantly surrounded by beautiful people, in body and in spirit!

Thank you Dylan and Cate. You were a pleasure to work with!

Christine and Chuck e-session

Christine and Chuck had the worst luck with weather.
We had to re-schedule their engagement photo session several times because of rain. We actually met in the pouring rain one of our scheduled dates, hoping it was just a passing shower.

With their wedding fast approaching, we finally were able to take this amazing photos at Burnside bridge just two weeks before their wedding. Christine really wanted to have one photo for a signable matt at the wedding and this is the image they picked. I love it! It shows the joy and the fun in their relationship. Congratulations Chuck and Christine, see you on Saturday for the wedding!

The e-session of Ann and John

So glad to have been able to meet Ann and John at the location of their upcoming wedding at Loyola University for their engagement photo session. We arranged their wedding plans over the phone because they are not local. So this was the first chance I had to meet them face to face.

The engagement sessions are a good opportunity for us to get to know one another and for the couple to experience being the sole focus of my camera. For most, it's the first time they've had this type of photo experience.

They were terrific! and had a great sense of humor about the session. John, especially, kept Ann laughing as we worked our way through some posing. I can't wait for the wedding! Thanks to you both!

Ann and John

Nicole and Brian

Nicole and Brian's e-session

Nicole and Brian had extremely good luck considering the weather lately when we had their engagement session photos on Saturday. They wanted a little nature in the photos and a little urban Frederick feel. It was also First Saturday so downtown was packed with people. They did a great job of ignoring the crowds and the rest of the world and just related to each other. That's what I love about couples about to be wed, they are the world to each other. And these two were no exception.

I have noticed that many couples have a "signature" pose. This is a pose a couple might do often and naturally, their way of showing affection to one another or one they did one time and loved the way they looked in the pose.

By the end of the shoot, after looking over the images, I realized, Nicole and Brian have a signature pose as well! With no coaching from me they moved together, foreheads touching. The connection between the two of them in this pose is amazing. They are really focused on one another.

Thanks Nicole and Brian, for walking blocks and blocks and trying every one of my poses, but the best ones...were your own!

The engagement of Jennifer and John

I've been having a lot of fun with couples lately photographing them celebrating their engagement. Jennifer and John picked the Antietam area for their photos. Outdoorsy types, they wanted the casualness of the woods, creek and environs.
As with most of these sessions, the first fifteen minutes or so is a warm-up and then the real emotion and moments begin to happen. I love the opportunity to photograph couples before their wedding day. It gives me a chance to see what they think is fun, what poses they may enjoy and we become comfortable with each other. This is much better than showing up and introducing yourself on the day of the wedding!

John had the suggestion for this pose and it really turned out beautifully!

I think the look of Jennifer's eyes is stunning in this photo!

Jennifer thought she'd like to try out John on his ability to dip her and I got this photo of real joy. I think we decided the dip was fun but we may not try it as one of their wedding picture poses!

Thank you Jennifer and John!